Abstract
A book containing 499 letters from a Welsh captain written between 1902 and 1911, all relating to the everyday business matters regarding his ship, does not at first sight grab the imagination. They are often just one sentence long and almost all are addressed to his employers, the shipowners. But this is to underestimate their value. On their own they are less interesting but when added to by a thorough introduction that puts them in context, plus useful appendices and footnotes to many of the letters, this begins to take on a rather different character.
Daniel Jenkins became master of his first ship in 1902 having gained his master’s ticket in 1900. While the letters are from 1902 to 1911, David Jenkins, no relation, provides a well-researched outline of Daniel Jenkin’s career and personal life, which enables the letters to be seen in a wider context. Daniel spent his career in the unglamorous tramping trade, taking coal out from Wales and largely bringing grain home. He worked for several ship lines and was to die abroad in Madeira. His employers took the unusual decision at the time to bring the body home for burial out of respect.
The letters themselves are brief business letters, sparing few words to speak of the ports visited or his crew. Indeed, why would he mention anything about the ports – his task was to get the cargo to and from the ports swiftly, efficiently and effectively. Delays meant contractual costs and accidents or damage meant insurance claims, both were to be avoided. While telegrams were quicker, they were expensive and used in emergency or to back up important letters. There is an excellent note that explains how letters were copied and a fascinating insight into the use of telegrams and the use of codes. All the letters are English, rather than Welsh, as this was both the business language and the main language of shipping. David Jenkins comments that, apart from complaints and injuries, little mention is made of the crew. The letters were not general correspondence; they had a particular purpose to inform the owners of any delays, or incidents that might cause problems and to ensure the master was also protected by his report.
Time spent in a port was costly, fast turnarounds were essential, but this was not always within the control of the master. Daniel constantly reassures on the number of days spent in port and the date of unloading or loading. The receiving port organized the unloading and this could be delayed for many reasons. ‘I am doing my best to hurry them up’ was a regular cry, such as problems in Ireland unloading grain for a distillery, when a lack of manpower delayed matters. There were the challenges of dealing with obdurate port authorities and the time taken to clean the holds between cargoes such as loading maize wheat after carrying coal. In Algeria there were language problems when the bill of lading, which needed careful checking, was wholly in French.
Accidents had to be reported – an able seaman was hurt while steering, and on another occasion there was a report of a fire on board. Insurance claims or contractual disputes were always lurking and in one letter there is brief mention of Lloyds’ form of average bond. In any dispute or claim the master’s evidence was crucial. His paperwork was constant; bills of lading, consular clearance, the master’s and mate’s time sheets, orders, cabin, deck and engine store lists, deck repair lists and medicine lists. Costs had to be kept down at all times. When the propeller was damaged a replacement was fitted by the crew with the use of a borrowed crane and block, for which a gratuity was paid.
There is the occasional glimpse of personal lives. Daniel writes to the office regarding a fireman McKinnon, whose wife is obviously in need of money: ‘He will send his wages after paying off here.’ On another occasion, he asks permission for his wife to join him on a brief coastal passage. While Daniel worked with different owners on different ships, the routine was much the same and keeping the owners well informed and ensuring that he, personally, had copies of his letters were all types of personal insurance.
David Jenkins adds some very useful appendices, such as a family tree to help unravel the Jenkins family. There is a list of vessels on which Daniel served and selected crew lists, the latter showing how the crew members changed so almost each voyage was a new team building task. There is a chronological summary of the ship voyages and cargos and voyage statistics, plus maps showing the ports served by Daniel and his ships. Finally, there is a very valuable, and necessary, glossary.
As befits a publication from a Welsh record society, the context is specifically related to Welsh shipping while some readers will look for a broader context. Also for this reader it would be helpful if the use of ‘op cit’ in the footnotes was dropped. These are minor comments and David Jenkins is to be congratulated for adding so much to such simple, routine business letters.